UPDATE WITH VIDEO: Hundreds of dead fish found washed up at Baiter in Poole

The fish, which are believed to include salmon, which have already been filleted, can be seen in the shallow water and some have washed up on the sand.

It is believed that they have been dumped by a fish merchant, many of which appears to be in large clumps.

One fisherman, who asked not to be named, said: “This will be the work of a fish merchant, who has bought a lot of fish and has then dumped the bits that they don’t want.

“The blocks of fish you can see are from where they have been frozen in boxes and then tipped out."

He went on to say that it reflects badly on the local fisherman, as pedestrians and resident will immediately look to them to point the finger of blame, particularly when the fish start to rot and smell.

“Somebody could have parked up at Baiter, in a van, to dump them. If you look, you will see a start line for where they tipped them out, and then the wind has blown the bits along the water, towards the east.

“These fish could have been processed and used as whelk bait by a fisherman, but they have definitely not come from a local catch.”

Greame Whitworth, a pot baiter, says that local fisherman, as they do not fillet fish on their boats, but simply pass it on to the merchants to do.

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He said: “It could possibly be used as bait for fisherman, because bait is very expensive.

“This has got to be the work of somebody who does fish filleting and I do not know any fisherman around here, who do that."

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